Winter Weather Preparedness

Have you been stranded on the side of the road and been freezing cold because you were not prepared? It’s a situation that can easily be avoided this winter with a little preparation.

Officer Jacobs, the high school SRO officer, suggested people have the following items in their car at all times in case they get stranded out in a winter storm.

“Make sure you have a blanket, heavy coat, flashlight, hand warmers and plenty of gas before it all hits,” he said.

He said that many people when they venture out are not prepared and end up stranded and freezing. Most people end up getting sick from being out in the cold too long, he added.

Ashley Hetherington, senior, said she has never got stuck in the snow or ditches, so she said she is not prepared for an accident.

“I always have a heavy coat, so I will be fine,” Hetherington said.

Despite her own good luck driving in winter weather, Hetherington knows of other people that have gotten in a wreck during a storm. She responded with “One of my friends got in a wreck a few weeks ago, and now she doesn’t have a car,” Hetherington said. “I suggest people slow down.”

Senior Dylan Young said he is prepared for the next storm when it hits.

“I put nine sandbags in the back of my diesel truck,” Young said. “My truck will get around anywhere it needs to get around. I have never gotten stuck in any ditches; my truck is mean pulling machine.”

In fact, Young said he has used his truck to pull several others out of the ditch.

“Most people I have pulled out ended up in the ditch because they didn’t slow down. They just went fast and didn’t think twice,” Young said.